Siding material, ventilation, and other coop questions.

[TinaMarieofFL]

I just finished building a coop for my wife. I did decide to go with the t1-11 siding. I sealed it with two good coats of Barn Red paint and trimmed with barn white. I didnt paint the inside, and didnt paint the bottom edge of the pieces. I don't know if that matters, but I read something that said not to paint the bottom edge so any trapped moisture could drain. I have been pleased so far, but time will tell I guess.View attachment 2311298

Impressive!

 

[slat]

Oh, ok! How much overhang is good? 6 inches? a foot? I'm going to have a setup like this:
View attachment 2300336
With a slanted roof and all of the space between the roof structure and the main walls being hardware cloth ventilation, as well as the pop door being open all day. Should I add a window?

My coop is similar to this. I have the short wall at 6 foot and the tall at 8 foot. All my walls go to the roof line. My roof overhangs 1 foot on all sides. I have hardware cloth on the openings under the overhangs for ventilation. I do have a window on the short wall for extra ventilation in the summer. The window opens from the outside and the inside has hardware cloth covering it.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I didn't read through all 18 pages of posts, but I wanted to throw out an idea which is what I did on my first coop and will be repeating on my new, bigger coop.

My first coop was only 5' x 6' and meant to be mobile so I could move it around the yard. (picture below)

My new coop (construction starting in 2 weeks) will be 8' x 10' and built on a slab.

For both projects, I went to our local siding company and asked if we could go through their scraps. Color was irrelevant because I bought a can of paint and repainted it to match. I got all the vinyl siding for free...

So this might be an option to cover the plywood.... We watched a few YouTube videos to show us how to put it up... It was super easy and didn't require any special tools other than a good pair of tinsnips.

 

[black_cat]

I didn't read through all 18 pages of posts, but I wanted to throw out an idea which is what I did on my first coop and will be repeating on my new, bigger coop.

My first coop was only 5' x 6' and meant to be mobile so I could move it around the yard. (picture below)

My new coop (construction starting in 2 weeks) will be 8' x 10' and built on a slab.

For both projects, I went to our local siding company and asked if we could go through their scraps. Color was irrelevant because I bought a can of paint and repainted it to match. I got all the vinyl siding for free...

So this might be an option to cover the plywood.... We watched a few YouTube videos to show us how to put it up... It was super easy and didn't require any special tools other than a good pair of tinsnips.

Great idea! I don't know if we have anything like that near us but I will check.

 

[black_cat]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand after all this, we may just end up buying one of these:
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...en-Coop-Plus-Run-up-to-20-chickens-p1790.aspx
I will pitch the idea to my parents as soon as I next see them. (I'm staying with family right now) They were willing to pay that much for a garbage tiny one from the farm that the rental came from, so maybe they'll pay that much for a big one. (I"ll still be paying for some, and possibly working off some of the debt) I know that those need some modifications, namely hardware cloth and possibly latch upgrades. If we do this I will put hardware cloth over any un-hardware clothed windows, and over the bottom half of the run (e.g. buying a 4x40' roll and just having the HC 4' up the sides of the run) Would that work?

 

[NatJ]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand after all this, we may just end up buying one of these:
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...en-Coop-Plus-Run-up-to-20-chickens-p1790.aspx

I can't find how big the COOP part is, but it looks like it might be 6 feet each way.
(I think you know to ignore how many chickens the manufacturer says it can house!)

If we do this I will put hardware cloth over any un-hardware clothed windows, and over the bottom half of the run (e.g. buying a 4x40' roll and just having the HC 4' up the sides of the run) Would that work?

Might work, depending on what kind of wire is already on there.
The description says there is 1/2" hardware cloth over the windows and the ventilation slot.
If they bothered to think of that, they may have gotten the run right too.

I would get the coop before actually buying anything extra--you will probably find something that is better than you expected, and something else that is worse

 

[black_cat]

I can't find how big the COOP part is, but it looks like it might be 6 feet each way.
(I think you know to ignore how many chickens the manufacturer says it can house!)



Might work, depending on what kind of wire is already on there.
The description says there is 1/2" hardware cloth over the windows and the ventilation slot.
If they bothered to think of that, they may have gotten the run right too.

I would get the coop before actually buying anything extra--you will probably find something that is better than you expected, and something else that is worse

Imagine if I tried to put "Up to 20 chickens" in there. Night. Mare. I'd just be doing the breeds that I"m planning (I've decided to go for a splash marans instead of a BCM) (insignificant detail lol) I will definitely get the coop first! My current main concern is that there's no apparent latching mechanism on the nesting box lid.

 

[NatJ]

My current main concern is that there's no apparent latching mechanism on the nesting box lid.

They did address that:
"The weight of the lid will keep most predators out" (and then they suggested adding a lock if you think it's needed.)

Imagine if I tried to put "Up to 20 chickens" in there. Night. Mare.

Now if you wanted Serama bantams or something equally tiny, it might be fine...
But not for the kinds of chickens you want

 

[black_cat]

They did address that:
"The weight of the lid will keep most predators out" (and then they suggested adding a lock if you think it's needed.)



Now if you wanted Serama bantams or something equally tiny, it might be fine...
But not for the kinds of chickens you want

Honestly I'd LOVE to have a flock of all sebrights and seramas, some japanese bantams maybe....but that is sadly for another day. Look at me, not being great at reading things for information. I may add things for peace of mind. I will also probably add a predator apron.

 

[black_cat]

My main concern is the price tag. Thinking of how to pay it back:
-Offer $400 upfront
-$150 dollars of allowance that they owe me that I won't claim
-All allowance ($6 a week, which can accumulate) goes unclaimed
-do things like clean the whole basement
-other things like weed the garden, regular chores
-buy literally nothing
-work, and the money goes to chicken coop payoff
They'll probably pay a portion of it, but not all. Thoughts on how I can make money as a kid in a pandemic? *suffers